Hand railing for a bathtub



J1me 1953 G. H. TlSDALL HAND RAILING FOR A BATHTUB Filed 001;. 10, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

GAR/IE7 H. TLSMLL drank/kl June 3, 1958 e. H. TISDALL 2,336,834

HAND RAILING FOR A BA'I'HTUB Filed Oct. 10, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

1 awn/7 h. 77.90444 AffaRn/EY United States Patent @fdce Patented June 3, 1958 It is a well-known fact that many persons have been injured, sometimes seriously, when entering or leaving a bathtub, particularly when a bathtub has been made slippery by use of soap. This inherent danger is particularly pronounced in cases of elderly persons or persons weakened by disease.

To eliminate this source of danger, I have devised my railing which is of a kind that may be easily applied either to new bathtubs or to tubs already in use.

A more specific object of my improvement is to provide a railing of such structure as to impart to it a compactness in design, adaptability for easy installation without the need of any special tools, sturdiness of structure, and a stability against deflection from its serviceable position.

I shall now describe my improvement with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a bathtub and a railing mounte thereon, the view illustrating the use of the railing by disclosing the person of a child climbing out of the bathtub; I

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of two units of which the railing is composed;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of said unit;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged clamping member adapted to be applied against the inside surface of the bathtub, the member being one of a plurality of elements by means of which the railing is attached to the respective bathtub;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of an adjustable clamping member designed to work with the member shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 65 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a front 'elevational view of a modified railing mounted for use on a bathtub;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged front elevational view of one unit of said modified railing;

Fig. 9 is a view on line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a view on line 10-13 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on line l1ll of Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view on line 12-12 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view on line 13-43 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view on line l4-14 of Fig. 9.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A bathtub upon which the railing is to be mounted is generally identified by numeral 10. The front or front panel of the bathtub is marked 11, while a horizontal ledge or top of the bathtub is marked 12. The railing is composed of two identical units 13 opposed to each other in a spaced and symmetrical arrangement.

Each unit includes a member made of a single length of stock, such as a tube or rod, the member being looped upon itself in a hairpin turnso as to produce two parallel legs 14 and 14a. The legs, which are joined by the looped portion 15, are not of the same length, said leg 14a being shorter than the opposite leg 14. The spacing between the legs is such that the unit may be applied 2. from above to straddle the front wall of the bathtub. The front wall includes said panel ll, the top ledge 12, and an inner panel 17 which, in part, defines the space to be occupied by the person using the bathtub.

One of the legs, the shorter one 14a, carries a metal plate 17a which is welded to the lower end of said leg, as shown at 18, while the front portion of the plate supports a rubber pad 18a which is suitably cemented or otherwise afiixed to said plate. The pad is adapted to be brought to bear against the front wall of the tub from inside of the tub. The opposite leg 14, which is disposed vertically along the front panel 11 of the bathtub, is provided with two clamping members generally marked I19. Each consists of a threaded bolt 2%) which at one end is secured to said leg 14, preferably by being welded. This is shown in Fig. 5, in which case the unit 13 includes a solid rod 21.

Axially mounted on the bolt is a circular, convex-concave member or cup 22 which has a threaded central aperture 23 for engagement with said bolt 20. The open or concave portion of the cup includes an annular rim 25 which is provided with a recess 25 for reception of a metal disk 26. The disk serves as a base for support of a rubber pad 27 which is cemented or otherwise attached thereto. Seated on the bolt between the cup and the rod 21, and bearing against said cup, is a nut 28.

It will be noted that the leg 14 is provided with two such clamping members 19, and that one of them is alined horizontally with the clamping member on the shorter leg Eda, while the other member 19 is carried by said leg id at its lower end which terminates at a level above the floor F adjoining the bathtub it T he two legs 14 and 14a are joined by a transverse bar 29 which is disposed horizontally above the ledge 12 at a level just below the looped portion 15 of the unit 13. Connected to the bar 29 by means of a T-joint 30 is a laterally-extending brace 31 which is made in the form of a rod terminating with a cup-shaped anchoring device 32. The latter may consist of a vacuum cup or some suitable device adapted to be permanently attached to the ledge 12.

The two units 13 are to be mounted at such spacing from each other as to afford sufiicient room therebetween for a person to climb over the ledge 12 of the bathtub. The looped portions of the units are to be disposed parallel to e ch other to provide means for a manual grasp of the 1g by a person desiring to step over the front wall of the bathtub. The legs of the respective unit 13- are secured to the front wall of the bathtub in the manner shown in the drawings. This is effected by means of the clamping member on the shorter leg, said member bearing against the front wall of the bathtub from inside, and by means of the two clamping members 19 which bear against the wall from outside, that is, against the front panel ll. As each of the cups of the clamping members 19 is mounted upon the threaded bolt and may be rotated upon said bolt, the cup may be caused, by rotation thereof, to be brought into a tight frictional contact with said front panel 1?. and to bring into similar tight frictional contact the clamping member on the shorter leg against the front wall of the tub from inside the bathtub.

In its modified form shown in Figs. 7 to 14, the railing is also composed of two units. Each unit, as shown best in Figs. 8 and 9, is composed of a standard 4% which consists of a tubular member bent upon itself so as to include two parallel legs, a shorter one 41 and a longer one 4.2, the two legs being joined by an integrally-formed loop The legs are spaced from each other so as to straddle one side wall of the bathtub, which wall includes a front panel 44, a flat top portion 45, and an inner panel Pivotally mounted within the lower end'of the shorter legAl, by means of a bolt 47', is a flat ear dfiwhichsup:

ports a clamping plate 4? bearing against the front panel 46 within the inner space of the tub. The opposite or the longer leg-42 is provided with two clamps Each includes It willbenotedthat the leg 42 is provided with two agstem iii-which is threaded into the member-5t}: and p such clamps, onebeing located directly opposite the plate 7 49 carriedbylthe shorter leg 41. a

At alevel just above the top 35 'ofthe' wall of ;the

bathtub, the two legs of the standard arei connectcd by,

a horigontalfrod 54 which at each end is held. in place by a boltjSSpassing diametrically through'one ofthe respeetivelegs, as shown in Fig. 14.

Disposed atrignt angle to the plane of the'two legs ,41' and 42 is another or auxiliary railing generally marked.

56. This consists of a tube having a vertical portion 57 which at the;lower'end is provided with a fiat vdisk 5?: a resting on top e f-50f the tubs wall. lust above the top of said disk, the vertical portion 57 is provided with a diametrical apeiitureffor connection to the above-named rod 54. At a level spaced from the top of the loop 43,

the vertical portion- 57 curves at right angle away from V the plane of; the'standard, slopes downwardly as shown at 59, and is bent upon itselfjin a loop 5%. The outer end of said railing 5s consists of a horizontally-disposed portion fitlrwhich is secured. to, the top of the tub.

This is effected by means of an inverted .Ushaped anchoring device which,slike the standard 4 1), includes two legs, these being'marked 61' and 62, respectively. The

first of' said legs is provided with a pivotally-mounted clamping plate 63. More specifically, the lower end of a the leg 62 contains a plug 64 which at its outer end includes a bifurcated eye 65. ,Theiclamping plate-63 is secured to said eye 65 by means ofta short eartfi.

The-twolegs 631 and 62 are but parts of'one length of a tubular stockbent upon itself in a hairpinrlooph The looped portion, identifiedby numeral 66, engages thehorizontal length as of the railing 56'by passing through V a diametrical'hole in said portion 60. A vertical bolt '68,

threaded diametrically through said horizontal portion 60, terminates with a disk 69 which bears against the upper surface 45,01? the Wall of the tub..1

As shown in the drawings, theupper'portions of the U-shapedstandards,,dtirrisenabove the top .of the wall to a suflicient: heightsto: allow a person entering the tub or i leaving it to grasp the looped'po'rtions of the two standit ardsr The.laterallyaextendingrailings marked 56 -will bei ,found helpful to a person still seated in'the tub but desiring to rise to a standing position. 7

After having described my railing, what Iwish'to claim is as follows:

1. In combination witha side wall of a bathtub, a rail ing consisting of a single length of elongated stock formed 'into a U-shaped standard including a loopediop and two g r-rallcl legs disposed vertically and straddling the wall, pad on one leg bearing 'against"one side of thewall, adjustable clamp m'eans mounted onthe other leg and opposed to said pad and bearingagainst the-Qpposite side of the wall, a transverse bar -joining -the two legs at 'a lcvei above the top portion ofthe wall about one-half of the length of the standard including its looped end extend-' ing above the top of the wall of the bathtub, an inverted U-shaped member straddling saidfwall'at 'atpointspaced from said standard; the 'Ueshaped *member'including two ,7

legs clamped to said mu, andalloopedportion disposed on-topthereef, and atubular member at one end'se'cured 1 to the transverse bar-of the standard and secured at the other end to the l ooped portion of the shaped member,

, said tubular member including a portion disposed in a V spaced relation above the topof saidwall. i

2. In combination with a sidewall of a bathtub; ;a mil ing consisting of a single length of elongated stock'formed into a U-shaped standardincluding a-looped top. and twor parallel legs disposed vertically-and straddling the wallf a pad onrone leg bearing against one side of the wall] adjustable clamp means mounted on,the other ie amr opposed'to said pad and'ibe'aring against the opposite side} of the wall, a transverse bar joining thetwo llegs at a level above the top portion ofthe wall about one-halfof a the length oi the standard including its looped end extend-' ing above the top'of the wall of the bathtub, a U-shaped f member rnountedon the wall in' a spacedlrelation' to the] 7 standard, the U-shapedmember includingtwo legs shad-1 dling the wall and securedthereto by clamping means on said legs, and a portiondooped over the top oftsaid wall,

and a tubular railat one end'connected to the transverse bar, the railing first rising, upwardly, themsloping 'tbiwards said U-shaped member, andbeing connected-{to the looped p or'tion thereoff: i

References Cited, in the file of this patent 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS Moore Apr. 17,1256 2,756,439 'Bollen" Jilly 31, 1956 a 

